Mercy Flip Book

Thank You 144

(above) AERIAL TOUR OF MERCY HOSPITAL, 144 STATE STREET Special thanks to David Murdoch for capturing this drone footage on September 21, 2021.

In early 2022, Northern Light Mercy will move its State Street hospital services and operations to the newly expanded Mercy Fore River healthcare campus. This collection of photographs celebrates the early days at 144 State Street and honors those who created the foundation for Mercy State Street. The images are from the personal collections of the Sisters of Mercy and the Mercy Hospital archives at the Maine Historical Society. The photos are a tribute to the 78 years Mercy served the community at “144” delivering the healing work of Christ through clinically excellent, compassionate care which will carry on at Mercy’s united Fore River campus.

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MOTHER AND CHILD, 1946 Mercy State Street opened in 1943.

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(above) STATE STREET LOBBY The main lobby at the State Street entrance.

CHRISTMAS PLAY AT MERCY, PORTLAND, 1959 The Christmas season was a very busy time for Mercy Hospital and the Sisters of Mercy. During the Christmas of 1959, along with running the hospital, staff prepared gifts and attended local concerts. Christmas day started with midnight Mass, followed by a 7:30 a.m. Mass, after which many of the sisters were given the gift of sleeping in. Later that evening, one of the sister’s family put on a nativity play. Sister Annunciata, who was the hospital director from 1934 until her death in 1969, described this event in her diary, which she judiciously kept daily during her tenure: “Sister Louise’s family visited- children put on play for sisters- very good.” Also, she noted that their first Christmas baby was born at the hospital that day.

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STUDENT NURSE AT MERCY HOSPITAL, 1950 The Mercy Hospital School of Nursing graduated over 2,000 nurses from their program, which operated from 1922-1987.

CAPPING NIGHT, 1953 The capping ceremony was a rite of passage for nursing students, a ritual that symbolized dedication to the nursing profession. At Mercy Hospital, after six months of study and the successful completion of a preclinical training period, nurses were awarded their caps at a formal ceremony. The students pictured in this photograph are, Beverly Dodge Bowens, Kathleen Flanagan McManus, Nancy Mason Gallagher, and Doris Carnigan Cyr.

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(right) MERCY STAFF ON THE ROOF, 1946

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(above) NURSE AND NEWBORN AT MERCY HOSPITAL, 1980 When the Queen’s Hospital transitioned to Mercy Hospital, the new State Street facility opened in 1943 with 36 bassinets, and was hailed as one of the most advanced of its kind in northern New England. Maternity services expanded, and in 1965 alone, Mercy delivered 1,200 newborns. Mercy was a pioneer in offering private childbearing rooms. Later, at “The Birthplace at Mercy Fore River,” the hospital implemented a practice known as LDRP, defined as labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum care all in the same room.

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DR. HARRY E. DAVIS MERCY’S FIRST CHIEF OF PEDIATRIC SERVICES

He was called “Dr. Davis” by everyone but his patients. They called him “Dr. Harry.” Virtually every child in Portland knew Dr. Harry because for many years he vaccinated the entire fifth grade at the Portland public schools. If they did not see him at school, they might have seen him volunteering at the City of Portland’s hygiene clinic, the Female Orphans Home, or they might have been one of his private practice patients. One of six children, he was the first in his family to be born in America. Harry grew up in Portland, then went to Tufts College and graduated from its medical school in 1919. He trained in pediatrics, a relatively new medical field at the time. After residency, he returned to Portland to establish his own practice, setting up an office on Congress Street near the Queen ‘s Hospital (later renamed Mercy Hospital). When the new Mercy Hospital opened on State Street in 1943, Dr. Davis moved his office nearby and became the Chief of Pediatric Services, a position he held until his death in 1963.

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MERCY HOSPITAL NURSING SCHOOL GRADUATES, 1954

In 1954, the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing graduates included, from left to right, first row: Claire E. Fraser, Mona Oulette, Ursala M. Terroni, Jacqueline L. LaBrecque, Janice Anne Brazier, Sally Bannon, Mary Ellen Burke, Carmen G. Carignan, Sister Mary Edmund Campion, Corinne L. Paridis, Anne M. Bission, Constance A. Hebert, Wilma J. Doyon, Laura R. Paradis, Elsie L. Doyle, Lucy I. Orne. Second row: Everista M. Barnes, Louise M. Mountain, Rosemary Nealand, Joan M. Oden, Rebecca M. Gillesie, Durelle M. Black, Theresa L. Ouelette, Margaret M. Crosby, Mary G. Donahue, Doris Cronan, Nola J. Renard, Kathleen M. O’Clery, Louise M. Monahan, Mary T. Akins, Mary T. Durand, Elinor Smith. Third row: Mary Ann Watt, Clair E. Aucoin, Mary K. Shaw, Mary Crowley, Carmen Thibodeau, Lucille Pinette, Barbara Jordan, Pauline M. Kuchulis, Mary Ellen McLeod, Kathleen Huston, Orpha Bolstridge, Jacqueline Verville, Germaine Brennan.

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MERCY SCHOOL OF NURSING, 1944 Class of 1944; Instructor: Francis O’Brien; 1st row: JO Kelly; Shirley Blumenthal; Launitta Dunn; 2nd row: Peggy Mathews; Blanche Tetrault; June Crowley; Rolanda Deschaine; 3rd row: Francis Tryon; Catherine Mooney; Collins Baraha Atwood; 4th row: Eileen Gower; Agnes O’Donnell; Sally Mahan; Helen Debooks

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MCAULEY CLUB OFFICERS McAuley Club Officers: front, left to right: Mrs. G.F. Papouschek; Mrs. G.F. Donahue; Mrs. John D. Wilkinson; Back, left to right: Mrs. William H. Gill; Mrs. Didoce J. Burke; Mrs. John H. Vanier; Mrs. Albert N. Tardif

ALUMNAE OF MERCY SCHOOL OF NURSING Alumnae left to right: Miss Judith C. Whalen, President; Mrs. Jeanette A. Manning, Vice President; Miss Phyllis M. Rouse, Secretary-Treasurer

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NATIONAL COUNCIL CATHOLIC NURSES, BOSTON

THE AUXILIARY Ladies Auxiliary, seated left to right: Miss. Rose A. Thibant, secretary; Mrs. John G. Oakes; Miss Helen G. Curran, president; Mrs. Neil C. Ceilson, vice president; Mrs. Fred A. Hayes; standing left to right: Miss Marguerite Hartnett; Miss Lidwin M. O’Connell, treasurer

MARY SINCLAIR

BLOOD SUGAR TEST Blood sugar test tech pouring from test tube to colorimeter cup.

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USING HOT AIR STERILIZER

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NURSERIES

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MATERNITY DELIVERY ROOM

KITCHEN

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LAUNDRY

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(below) PATIENT ROOM

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(left) CROWDED SOLARIUM

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SURGERY

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EMERGENCY POWER

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DIETICIAN, 1946 Dietician supervising student weighing special diet. Mary Sinclair in the middle looking on.

X-RAY DEPARTMENT

X-RAY MACHINE

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LABORATORY Dr. Leary in the laboratory

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NURSING STUDENT HANDS ON TRAINING Nursing students observing a procedure.

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(above) MORNING ROUTINE Morning routine, servicing surgical carts.

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CHILDREN’S SECTION

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VOLUNTEER IN PEDIATRICS Mrs. Michael Dunn volunteer in pediatrics, 1956

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(below) STATE STREET INFORMATION DESK Mrs. John Wilkinson, volunteer, at State Street information desk.

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(left) MERCY SCHOOL OF NURSING CLASS OF 1944 Class of 1944; Instructor: Francis O’Brien;

1st row: JO Kelly; Shirley Blumenthal; Launitta Dunn;

2nd row: Peggy Mathews; Blanche Tetrault; June Crowley; Rolanda Deschaine;

3rd row: Francis Tryon; Catherine Mooney; Collins Baraha Atwood;

4th row: Eileen Gower; Agnes O’Donnell; Sally Mahan; Helen Debooks

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CENTRAL SUPPLY NURSE

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EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

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CAPPING CEREMONY AT MERCY HOSPITAL SCHOOL OF NURSING

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